The photophysical properties of several acceptor substituted 1-arylpyrene derivatives were investigated. The fluorescence spectra strongly depend on the nature of the aryl moiety and the position and number of methoxycarbonyl acceptor groups. Dual fluorescence, originating from a locally excited and a charge transfer state, was observed for the diester derivatives. The solvent dependence of the dual fluorescence and the slightly curved solvatochromic plots indicate a change of the character of the excited states from solvents of low to high polarity. The rate constants for fluorescence and nonradiative decay were calculated to reveal the nature of the excited-state relaxation, that is, the increase of the mesomeric interactions by geometrical flattening or stabilization of the CT state by further twisting toward perpendicularity. Flattening is the major relaxation pathway of the diester phenylpyrene derivative in nonpolar solvents whereas in highly polar solvents the low value for the fluorescence transition dipole moment (M-f) indicates stabilization of the charge transfer state by further twisting. The fluorescence of the diester biphenylpyrene derivative originates from a locally excited state (LE) in nonpolar solvents. The low value for M-f in polar solvents and the change of the relative intensity of the dual fluorescence signals with the temperature indicate that the red-shifted fluorescence can be assigned to a twisted intramolecular charge transfer state.